Improvement in rotary engines



. ZSheets-Sheet 2..

NP EI G AN HE Y ROTAR No. 184,862

ATTOBNER 7 UNITED {STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cEoEcE o. HALE, OF KANSAS ciTY, MISSOURI, Assrcnon T0 HIMSELF; AND FREDERICK 0. WHITE, 0F SAME PLACE. p

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,862, dated November 28, 1876; application filed I v I November 17, 1876. e V

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. HALE, of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Steam-Engine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The object of my invention is to effect an improvement in that class of rotary steam-engineswhose case or cylinder is made to revolve around a stationary circular head or disk, to which the pistons are attached. In my improvement the pistons proper are hinged within a stationary disk having hollow trunnions, and the cylinder revolves around it. The induction-ports are in the piston-heads, and the cut-off is effected by the automatic movement of the pistons themselves. Thus the necessity of supplementary steam-valves is avoided, the number of working parts reduced to a minimum, and the compactness of this class of engines considerably increased.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a vertical central cross-section of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a central side'sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, with the piston-heads in plan. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, showing the positions of the pistons when passing the abutments, and the steam-induction ports in the piston-heads thereby closed.

The steam-cylinder of the engine is formed of the annular portion A and flat circular heads B B. The former has its periphery constructed slightly crowning to adapt it for the application of a belt in the same-manner as to an ordinary pulley; or it may be toothed, and thus converted into a spur driving-gear. The heads are bolted to the part A, and provided with central hollow tubular projections a, constituting the bearings of the rotary cylinder on the hollow trunnions O O, forming the shaft of the stationary piston-disk or part D. (In some cases I propose to utilize these tubular projections or pulleys a. for the application of bands or belts, for operating the governor, or for other purpose.) The said disk is constructed in two parts, 0 c, which are bolted together and recessed on their contiguous or inner sides to form asteam chest or chamber, d, and the hollow trunnions or shaftsections G O are formed in one piece with: the respective halves c c of said disk. The above-named parts-t0 wit, the outer periphery of the cylinder A, heads B, disk D, and shaft 0 O--are arranged concentrically, and the steam-induction passage is through trunnion O, the exhaust through trunnion G, as indicated by arrows. The inner periphery of the cylinder A is of oval form, therebeing twofixed abutments, F, one opposite the other, and each suitably provided with packing, to form ,a steam-tight joint with the hollow piston-disk D as the cylinder revolves around it. An exhaust-port, b, is formed in each abutment at one side of its center, and said port communi- 1 cates with the trunnion O by the passages e e transverse slots in the periphery of the latter,

being for this purpose provided with arms g, by which they are pivoted Within'the disk, and thus adapted to vibrate'in the arc of a circle of about half the radius of the disk.

The outer side or edge of the piston-heads H is constructed upon a curve coincident with the periphery of the disk, so as to present a smooth surface and have as little friction as practicable with the inner periphery of the cylinder A B B as it revolves. The pistonheads have perforations f, which open on the side and form ports, by which the steam passes from chamber (1 into the space g between the disk and cylinder and the pistons and abutments, Fig. 2. These ports are constantly open to the chamber d, but intermittently closed to the spaces g,fthe cut-off being efi'ected by the rim of the disk D,when the pistonheads H pass the abutments F, and are thus pushed back into the disk, as shown in Fig. 4, for, as will be perceived, the piston-heads always work in contact with the inner periphery of the cylinder, being pressed outward by the piston-heads.

steam acting against the inner sides of the Hence the degree of pressure and friction of the piston-heads with the cylinder A B B will always correspond with the.

tight joint between the sides of the piston heads and the parts of the disk D and heads B B with which they work in contact.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that my improved engine may be utilized, when placed in proper position in relation to machinery to be driven, by placing a belt on the cylinder A, as upon an ordinary pulley, and admitting steam to the chamber d, having first set the disk D with the pistons between the abutments F. The steam will enter through trunnion 0, pass through ports f in the piston-heads, and, filling the spaces g', exert a pressure between the piston-heads and abutments. The former being attached to a fixed part, D, and the latter to a movable part, A B B, the latteri. e., the cylinderis necessarily caused to revolve around the other at a rate of speed corresponding to'the' pressure. The steam is out 01f from spaces g, and. hence has no action againstthe pistonheads when the abutments F are .passing them, since the piston-heads are then pushed in and the ports closed by the contiguous wall of the slots, in which the piston-heads work in and out. The exhaust from spaces g is efl'ected simultaneously just before the piston-heads reach the center of the abutments, or, in other words, as they pass the ports b, which lead out through the cylinder A B B and trunnion O, as before explained. Immediately upon the exhaust taking place an; pistons pass the abutments, the ports f are again opened, and the steam acts as before, thus maintaining the revolution of the cylinder A B B and the efi'ective work of the englue.

It is obvious the number of thecylinderabutments and the pistons may be increased as judgment or necessity may dictate.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new is- 1. In a rotary engine, the revolving cylinder, composed of an annular portion, A, having its periphery constructed as described, and the circular heads B B, provided with tubular projections or hearings, in combination with the hollowstationary disk, the hollow trunnions 0 G, and the hinged. pistons having side ports, as shown and described.

2. In a rotary engine, in combination with the cylinder having the abutments F, the hollow disk 'D and the swinging pistons H g, pivoted within the steam-chamber, and working steam-tight in peripheralslots in the disk D, also provided with ports f, openiug on the side, whereby they are alternately opened and closed as the piston-heads work in and out, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a rotary engine, the circular head B, having exhaust-ports e, the trunnion O, having a coincident opening, and the part A of the cylinder, having exhaust openings and passages in the abutments, said passages opening laterally, and communicating with the passage in the head, as shown and described, to provide for escape of exhaust steam, as specified.

GEORGE C. HALE- Witnesses:

Amos W. HART, F. 0. WHITE. 

